It was 1989, and Australian designer Marc Newson was contemplating the oeuvre of German artist Joseph Beuys—particularly the Fluxus star’s work in felt. The coarse, thick, utilitarian textile was simultaneously structured and pliable: Could it make a truly sculptural seat?

Newson had just returned to Tokyo from Sydney, where he had completed his futuristic Orgone lounge (several surround antiques dealer Yves Gastou’s pool, above). One day he devised a spin-off, slicing off the back, bending it open, and allowing the chair’s flanks to curl down to the floor.

“I wanted it to look like a folded piece of felt,” Newson says of the design, in which a thin, undulating shell of molded fiberglass was sandwiched between two thick layers of the Beuys favorite, hand-stitched around the edge, and propped up with a metal strut. Japanese manufacturer Idée produced a small batch in off-white felt. But the design, called simply Felt, didn’t take off until Italian furniture giant Cappellini put a version into production. The difference? The new model was covered in sleek, colorful wool (“A much better idea,” Newson admits) and rendered a tad larger (Newson’s original had been scaled for the Japanese market). The cognoscenti were smitten. “It was a revolutionary redesign,” says art dealer Sean Kelly, who bought two in wicker. “But also supremely functional and comfortable.”

Art dealer Sean Kelly has two wicker versions at his Hudson Valley home.

William Waldron

Soon there was a Felt to suit every style: a small edition in aluminum, brilliant renditions in lacquered fiberglass (Cappellini still churns these out starting at $4,830 a pop), and wicker ones handwoven by artisans in Thailand. The only thing that’s felt about it now is its name.

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